7-Eleven sandwiches recalled because of Sabra listeria recall

Fresh deli sandwiches made by two different companies and distributed to 7-Eleven stores in 16 states are under recall because they contain Sabra brand hummus that has been recalled because inspectors found Listeria at a Sabra manufacturing plant.

By the time the recalls for the sandwiches were posted with the Food and Drug Administration late Tuesday and Wednesday, the sandwiches had all passed their “best buy” dates, which ran from Oct. 17 through Nov. 21. Any consumers with the sandwiches still in their possession are urged to discard them or return them to the place of purchase.

Sabra Dipping Co. LLC posted its hummus recall Nov. 19, pulling back a variety of products made prior to Nov. 8 and shipped across the U.S. and Canada to retailers and foodservice operations.

Although the corporations involved had records of who shipped and received the recalled Sabra hummus, including information on companies that used the recalled hummus to produce other food, such as the 7-Eleven sandwiches, federal regulations prohibit the FDA from revealing that food chain information to the public in voluntary recalls because it is considered “confidential corporate information.”

No cases of Listeria infection have been confirmed in relation to the recalled hummus or sandwiches, according to all of the recall notices.

However, symptoms of listeriosis can take up to 7 days to develop after consuming the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Anyone who has eaten any of the recalled hummus or sandwiches and developed symptoms should seek medical attention and inform their doctors about the possible exposure to the bacteria.

“Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems,” according to all of the recall notices.

“Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeriainfection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.”

Listeria can easily survive refrigeration and freezing. Very small amounts of the pathogen can cause illness in humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although no Listeria was confirmed in tested samples of finished product at the Sabra production plant, the pathogen was fund in the facility where it could have contaminated products.

Specific recalls related to the Sabra hummus recall include:

Greencore USA Central ServicesDanvers, MA, an Irish multi-national company, is recalling an unspecified number of “Fresh to Go Mediterranean Chicken Hummus” sandwiches with the UPC number 5254858888 and manufactured solely for the 7-Eleven Corp.

“Sabra Dipping Co. has recalled the Red Pepper Hummus ingredient used in this sandwich because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The source of the contamination originated with Sabra Dipping Company, not Greencore,” according to the Greencore recall notice.

“Because of the two-day shelf life of the refrigerated fresh ready-to-eat sandwich, Greencore is recalling only lots distributed since Oct. 15, 2016.”

Greencore distributed its sandwiches to 7-Eleven locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. As of Nov. 20, Greencore had notified all of the implicated stores to remove and destroy the recalled sandwiches.

LSG Sky Chefs Supply Chain Solutions Inc. of Irving, TX, posted three recalls with the FDA on Wednesday for chicken and hummus sandwiches it made for 7-Eleven stores in six states.

“The hummus spread used in the sandwiches is subject to a national recall issued by Sabra Dipping Co. due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. All 7-Eleven chicken with hummus sandwiches have already been pulled from affected 7-Eleven stores. No other products or retailers are involved in this voluntary recall,” according to the LSG Sky Chefs recall notices.

The Texas company reported 389 chicken and hummus sandwiches, packaged in plastic clam shells with UPC number 0 52548 58888 5, were produced and distributed to 7-Eleven stores in the Pittsburg, PA, Cleveland, OH, and Buffalo, NY, areas.

Another “103 units” of Mediterranean style chicken with hummus sandwiches in plastic clam shells with UPC number 0 52548 58888 5 went to 7-Eleven stores in Washington state.

The third recall by LSG Sky Chefs involves 241 Mediterranean style chicken with hummus sandwiches produced at its San Jose, CA, facility and 72 sandwiches from its Las Vegas production facility.

The snack and vegetable dipping trays implicated in the recall are Taylor Farms “Hummus Bistro Boxes” and Schnucks “Hummus Snack Trays,” according to the recall notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website.